Gamescom 2017: A Quick Review of What’s Hot and What’s Not!

Gamescom 2017 has come and gone but without the epic reveals of E3. Instead, 345 000 visitors were treated to demos and teasers of the next batch of animated adrenalin boosters. Pro gamers intent on finding the next big money-spinners to drive big dollar sponsorships and live streams best buckle-up for a wild ride.

With all the major game developers present in Cologne, the odds of honing in on truly awesome sequels, prequels and brand new titles were excellent. Similarly, dipping into a few duds was as inevitable. To be fair, many of the below par games showcased at Gamescom are in the early stages of development. There’s still time for the devs to affect a turnaround based on the constructive criticism dished out live and online.

Here’s a sample of game demos that caught the eye and those that need a bit more work to weave that magic:

Hot: Star Wars Battlefront II

Image Source: origin.com

The teaser for ‘Star Wars Battlefront II’ was a lengthy appetizer of what looks to be a superb collaborative sequel by developers Dice, Criterion and Motive. It focused on a big multiplayer space battle played out in an awesome cosmic world, where chaos reigns supreme. Apart from billing the Starfighter Assault mode, the demo showcases a squadron of hero ships with unique destructive abilities. You can anticipate explosive gameplay when the game launches for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation in November.

Hot: Where the Water Tastes Like Wine

Image Source: geek.com

Those of you looking for a unique Indie gaming experience that combines folk tales of America with straight up gameplay will love ‘Where the Water Tastes Like Wine’. It’s a wonderful tapestry of real world stories and aesthetically beautiful 2D and 3D gaming palettes. Your objective is to collect and share as many stories as you can as you travel across America. The game is due for release for PC and Mac in early 2018.

Hot: Sea of Thieves

Image Source: thathashtagshow.com

If the demo is anything to go by, Rare has created a rare treat in ‘Sea of Thieves’, a multi-player pirate-themed game packed with surprises. There’s grog, gang-planks, cutlasses and cannons that enable self-shooting at enemy vessels. You’ll discover a full and varied ‘quests’ cabinet, an expansive open-world and superb stylised visuals that allow you to achieve all sorts of things impossible and implausible in the real world. The game is due to be released in early 2018 and will support cross-play functionality between PC and Xbox One.

Not: Shenmue 3

Image Source: me.ign.com

Although the sequel to the popular open-world cult classic is still in the making, the first visuals of ‘Shenmue 3’ didn’t overly impress. The animation wasn’t as slick as it should be and the characters lacked any sort of believable warmth or emotion. In fact, the imagery throughout was decidedly dated with the exception of a rather beautiful world that acted as a bit of eye candy in an otherwise stiff and awkward demo. Ryo Hazuki and Ling Shenhua are back on PlayStation 4 and PC when Shenmue 3 is released in the second half of 2018… hopefully displaying the required emotion to get players fully immersed in the game.

Not: Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time

Image Source: rpgsite.net

The demo of the next edition of the rather lovable Japanese anime ‘Little Witch Academia’ was a disappointment on so many levels. The animation was way off the quality of the original and gameplay was confusing and obscure. Despite an expected release date in early 2018, Trigger would be well advised to spend more time on refining ‘Chamber of Time’ for PlayStation 4 and PC Digital.